Excess sugar and chemical preservatives and dyes are the main problems highlighted by research conducted by the Institute. Research conducted by IDEC (Brazilian Institute for Consumer Protection) with 12 fruit-based beverages, purchased in supermarkets in the city of São Paulo, evaluate the nutritional quality of drinks, based on the presence or absence of sugar, flavoring and coloring, and the information contained in the packages, according to current legislation in the sector.

In the analysis of IDEC, the power of advertising and marketing is so great that a simple package can lead us to believe that a particular drink is as healthy as the fresh fruit that originated the product. But, as Vera says, sanitation and research coordinator, although the consumption of fresh fruit can provide the total use of nutrients. “The manufacturing processes remove nutrients from the juice. The fibers, for example, are rarely found in juices,” she explains.

The industrialized beverages tend to contain high levels of sugar. This is the case of nectars (the juices should respect a limit of addition of sucrose). Pratical, nectars are usually sold in packs of 1 liter, are dilutions of sweetened juices. “They sometimes have about 20 grams of sugar per serving of 200 ml, equivalent to two tablespoonfuls,” says Vera Barral.

Another important detail is that one of the dyes contained in beverages, tartrazine, can cause allergic reactions in nature, including bronchial asthma, especially in people allergic to aspirin, and therefore, by 1.18, by decision of the Federal Court Sao Paulo, the National Agency for Sanitary Vigilance Agency (Anvisa) must within 30 days to edit a rule requiring it to be mentioned, highlighting the adverse effects of the dye.